Natural-Hacks Blog

Helping the body absorb fat-soluble nutrients, while supplying a host of others.

Great news! Avocados have long been loved by southern folk for dressing up their tacos and making guacamole, but there are several ways to eat an avocado! And in even more great news avocados have been found to help the absorption of other nutrients from the food you are eating with it!

Studies have shown that eating about half an avocado, in combination with a spinach, carrot and lettuce salad, increased the absorption of alpha-carotene by 8.3 times, beta-carotene by 13.6 times and lutein by 4.3 times, as compared to just eating the salad alone!

The essential fatty acids found in avocados significantly increased the absorption of fat-soluble, carotenoid phytonutrients from other vegetables. Avocados themselves are loaded with Vitamin K, Folate, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Magnesium, Zinc, Phosphorous, Vitamin A, B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin) and B3 (Niacin). So, as you can see, just a little homemade organic salsa and homemade guacamole creates a nutrition powerhouse that you can feed your family throughout the day!
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There are several recipes out there. You can doctor up an avocado in so many ways, just be creative and get them in your belly as much as possible. Avocados provide health building nutrients and then some. Ripe avocados will be firm, but slightly soft when squeezed. Too soft and it will be brown. To hard and you will need to wait a day or two to eat. So if you are looking to make an appetizer today, make sure they are ripe and usable. Bon apetit! To your health!

​Coconut oil has been popular for a while now. But many people, with legit concern, questioned just how healthy coconut oil really is since...90% of the oil content is saturated fat. We were all taught that saturated fat is the enemy and that we must avoid it to be healthy at all costs. But is that the truth? Could some saturated fats be healthy for you?

Let's take a look at a few things...
First, in the 1960's, the Sugar Research Foundation sponsored (funded) research by Harvard scientists to "refute" concerns about sugar's possible role in heart disease. Several studies were done between 1964-1966 that suggested sugar might be linked to coronary heart disease. Then, in 1967, the New England Journal of Medicine published the result funded by the Sugar Research Foundation. The paper concluded that the best way to prevent coronary heart disease was to cut fat out of American diets. You can read more about that here.

Next, in 2012, a team of researchers from Norwegian University of Science and Technology evaluated the health and lifestyle habits of more than 52,000 adults aged from 20-74. They concluded that there was a 28% lower​ mortality risk in women with higher ​cholesterol above 270mg/dl. They also concluded that if you're a woman, the risk for heart disease, cardiac arrest and stroke are higher if you have cholesterol lower than 183mg/dl.
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Then, in March 2014, using data from nearly 80 studies and more than a half million people, a meta-analysis was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. They concluded that those who ate saturated fat had no more heart disease than those who consumed less.

You have to decide for yourself what you believe. This research done by two Harvard researchers seems pretty legit to me. And wouldn't surprise me about the sugar industry. Not all saturated fats are created equal. Naturally occurring saturated fats are very good for our bodies. Processed saturated fats are not. To me, seems like the sugar industry may have been trying to give all saturated fats a bad name, while silencing the true effects of sugar. But, nonetheless, that's just my opinion after reading the research.

​The saturated fat that I mentioned above that is not good for you is the kind that is highly processed through hydrogenation. These are unsaturated fats that are turned into saturated fats by adding hydrogen atoms while heating the oil. This creates a thick, rancid oil that only benefits the shelf life of processed foods. Then there's the saturated fat found in meat. We don't eat meat in our house, but I know people do so I want to address this quickly. The hormonal growth promoters and antimicrobial growth promoters used in the production of meat are a major concern for overall human health. The disruption of normal human intestinal flora and the induction of resistant bacteria raise a huge concern about the antimicrobial growth promoters being used. You can read more about the hormones used in meat production, legally and illegally,here. The naturally occurring saturated fats found in coconut oil ​​are not only healthy for you, but are essential to your health!

​Coconut oil is a powerhouse of a food. You can easily get more in your diet by cooking with it. You can add it to protein shakes. Eat it on toast. Sometimes I just take a tablespoonful right out of the jar and swallow it. I also use coconut oil as a moisturizer at night and during the day I apply a light layer on my skin. There are so many ways to use coconut oil. A great summertime toddler hack is to blend coconut oil with pineapple or any other berries and a little bit of ice. Blend well and pour into ice trays to make healthy popsicle treats for your kids. Let me know how you have used coconut oil and we can keep adding to the list of wonderfulness that this oil produces!

Hummus is jam packed with protein and fiber. There are 14.5 grams of protein and 12.5 grams of fiber per cup! The fiber in hummus helps balance bacteria in the gut, therefore balancing the bodies pH levels. Hummus also contains energy abundant carbohydrates, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and B vitamins. There are actually 80mg Calcium and 78mg of Magnesium per cup! This is an energy boosting, nutrition supplying, healthy, kid-friendly and adult-friendly snack that you can leave plain or spice it up however you like for even more yummy health benefits.

​Blend garbanzo beans, 1/2 can juice from one of the cans of beans, garlic clove, tahini sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper in blender until creamy. Pour into serving dish, sprinkle paprika and parsley on top, then drizzle with olive oil. Serve with pita bread, tortilla chips, vegetables or fruit. Serve on toast or on a sandwich with cheese and greens.

​To make Roasted Red Pepper hummus, use the same recipe above, minus the juice from can. Chop and core an organic red pepper. Set your oven on high broil. Put the pepper in the oven on a pan for 7-10 minutes. The edges of the pepper should be a little brown, "roasted" looking. After the pepper is finished, add it to the blender with everything else to be blended. The juices in the pepper make up for the juice from the can. You don't want your hummus runny!

These vitamin-packed, fresh ingredients are just a little taste of heaven.

For about 6 months in 2014 I was on a pico/salsa mission. I made a different one every week. I tweaked it a little bit each time to find just the right ingredients for a nutrient-packed, super tasty pico. I make this any time we go to a pitch-in or gathering. It is always the biggest crowd pleaser! I'm always getting compliments and requests for the recipe. There's usually not a drop left and I make a HUGE bowl of pico de gallo. This recipe can be chopped or blended to make a salsa. So here you have it...

Chop all vegetables and add to large bowl. If blending for a salsa, add vegetables to blender and blend, all except the green onion and cilantro. Once vegetables are blended or chopped and added to bowl, add the chopped green onion, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper. Then squeeze all the juice from the lime over the mixture. Stir well and let marinate in fridge for 30 minutes before serving. Bon appetit!

Easily Make Delicious, Immune-Boosting Elderberry Syrup at Home

Elderberries are animmune-boosting powerhouse!They've been used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years to heal people of illness and to keep people healthy. In fact, black elderberries can be traced all the way back to Ancient Egypt, where elderberries were the main ingredient in several medicines. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, called this plant his “medicine chest” for all the ailments and illnesses it helped cure.

This elderberry syrup is extra potent, as I use 2 cups of elderberries, instead of the usual 2/3 cup or 1 cup. I also smash the berries for quite some time to get all the nutrients from these wonderful berries! Below are the benefits of this nutritious plant!

The other main ingredient of elderberry syrup is raw, unfiltered organic honey. And made into elderberry syrup it is pure, yummy, deliciousness! The raw honey is LOADED with nutrients. There are over 80 different vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants found in raw, unfiltered honey! The entire B-Complex can be found in honey, along with vitamins A, C, D, E and K. The mineral content includes magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus, iron, calcium, potassium, iodine and manganese. Raw, unfiltered honey is also an alkaline food, having one of the highest live enzyme contents of all foods! To top it off, the honey is also antimicrobial and antibacterial! As you can see, all of these nutrients, in combination with the nutrients from the elderberries make for a super, immune-boosting syrup! Which is why it is so powerful at kicking the flu, and other illness, to the curb, where it belongs! My recipe makes just a little over a quart. And it will stay good for up to 3 months in the fridge.
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Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe

​1 cup raw, unfiltered organic honey
2 cups whole organic black elderberries
1 tablespoon organic clove powder
1 tablespoon organic ginger root powder
2 cinnamon sticks or 1 tablespoon of organic cinnamon powder
4 cups water
(this recipe ^ makes just over a quart of syrup-to make 2 quarts, add 2 more cups of water, and one more cup of honey to the recipe above)Instructions:Simmer the elderberries and seasonings in the water for 30-45 minutes. Let it cool and then mash the berries with a spoon, through a strainer and into a glass bowl. Add the honey and stir. Store in the fridge. I mash the berries for 10 minutes, just to be sure I get all the goodness out of them. Quart sized mason jars are perfect for storing the syrup.

Need to make Vegan elderberry syrup? Just substitute the honey with 100% pure, organic maple syrup.

And How Will Elderberry Syrup Fight Off The Flu?...Elderberries have antioxidants called flavonoids (vitamin P) which are extracted and contained in the syrup. These flavonoids stimulate the immune system and have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antihistamine properties. Elderberries also have compounds called anthocyanins that have anti-inflammatory properties. The anti-inflammatory compounds found in elderberries are believed to be what soothes aches, pains and fevers associated with the flu.

Ingredients are available through my affiliate links below or locate and call a local, natural grocer to see if they carry black elderberries! ​

​(please note, if you have any allergies or reactions to honey, any of the seasonings or the berries, for that matter, please do not use this recipe)

Disclaimer: The information in the articles on this blog are strictly of the opinion of the author. The words and other content provided in this blog, and in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, as this blog does not provide diagnosis or treatment. This blog is strictly for educational purposes. Some pages may contain affiliate programs with links.